The new GP Contract in January 2019 agreed to the setting up of Primary Care Networks (PCN).
This means that Practices work together in groups of 30,000 – 50,000 patients with the aim of improving the services to their patients. PCNs will be provided with additional funding to support patient care.
IT DOES NOT MEAN that patients will no longer belong to their Practice or are unable to see their doctor, or that practices will merge or close.
IT DOES MEAN that additional advances in patient care will be available locally.
Initially this allow pharmacists to be attached to the PCN practices to ensure that patients are on the right medication. They will not be giving out pills (like a traditional pharmacy) but checking on need and safety and supporting the GPs with patient medicine management.
Another early change will be the use of Social Prescribing, ensuring that patients have access to events which will reduce loneliness and depression.
The 3 Bicester Practices have always worked closely together, so it was an easy decision that we should form a PCN for Bicester and the surrounding villages.
We are all quite excited about the additional possibilities our Bicester PCN will provide to improve patient care through the closer collaboration of the 3 Bicester practices.
